Organizational factors and total quality management - an empirical study

The level of awareness of Total Quality Management (TQM) has increased considerably over the last few years. Different sets of organizational requirements are prescribed by quality management gurus and practitioners for the effective practice of TQM. These requirements do not seem to have been formulated on the basis of systematic empirical research. Many researchers point out that tacit factors, e.g. employee empowerment, open culture and executive commitment, and not TQM tools and techniques alone, could drive TQM success, and that organizations would need to acquire these factors to stay successful. Many TQM advocates have also suggested that a conducive organizational environment would be essential for an effective practice of TQM. However, they did not offer any empirical evidence. There appears to be no empirical study reported in the literature that could establish a relation between TQM and organizational factors. The objective of this paper is to describe an empirical research on TQM conducted in Indian business units carried out recently by considering some organizational factors, e.g. quality of work life, organizational climate and communication. The methodology and findings are discussed in detail

Optimization of Process Parameters for the Production of γ-Linolenic Acid by Cunninghamella elegans CFR C07 in Submerged Fermentation

U radu je ispitana proizvodnja γ-linolenske kiseline submerznom fermentacijom s pomoću gljivice Cunninghamella elegans CFR C07, te je proces optimiran odabirom najprikladnijeg izvora ugljika i optimalnog vremena inkubacije. Radi poboljšanja ekstrakcije lipida iz biomase nakon fermentacije ispitane su četiri različite metode: ekstrakcija pomoću otapala i pijeska tretiranog kiselinom, ekstrakcija pomoću otapala i staklenih kuglica, liofilizacija ili ekstrakcija u Soxhlet uređaju. Proizvodnja je γ-linolenske kiseline prvo optimirana u tikvici zapremnine 250 mL na tresilici, a zatim u fermentoru od 3 L. Postignut je prinos γ-linolenske kiseline od 882 mg/L na tresilici, te 733 mg/L u fermentoru. Rezultati istraživanja potvrđuju da je C. elegans CFR C07 odličan mikroorganizam za proizvodnju γ-linolenske kiseline u submerznim uvjetima.The production of γ-linolenic acid (GLA) by the fungus Cunninghamella elegans CFR C07 in submerged fermentation was studied. Culture parameters such as carbon source and incubation time were optimized. Four different extraction methods using solvents with acid washed sand, glass beads, lyophilization and Soxhlet extraction were evaluated for improved extraction of lipids from the fungal biomass after fermentation. The GLA production was initially optimized in 250-mL flask and the process was demonstrated in a 3-litre fermentor. The maximum GLA production was 882 mg/L in shake flask culture and 733 mg/L in the fermentor. The study shows that Cunninghamella elegans CFR C07 is a potent organism for the production of GLA under submerged conditions